Advocates fight for La. Medicaid expansion

Official says state wants to give patients more options

President Barack Obama’s health care reform law has been a hotly contested debate split along party lines, but many Republican governors, who originally opposed the deal, are accepting federal money to expand Medicaid coverage.

Jeanne Abadie works at the Advocacy Center to give people with disabilities in Louisiana a voice, fighting for their rights and needs. She said her most recent challenge is expanding Medicaid.

“It’s very frustrating, and it just doesn’t make economic sense. I know that’s what the governor’s administration is saying, that it’s not economically sound, but that does not make sense to us,” said Abadie.

The Advocacy Center will be on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, asking lawmakers to give Medicaid expansion another look. Abadie said it’s estimated the program would insure an additional 400,000 Louisiana residents, pumping $15 billion to the economy.

“The Louisiana Budget project even did some studies showing Louisiana may actually make money even with the cost of implementing the program,” Abadie said.

Jindal’s administration, however, is standing firm, saying there’s no plan to expand Medicaid in the Pelican State.

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein said the state’s health care is in desperate need of reform, estimating that in 10 years under the plan, nearly half of the state’s population will be on Medicaid, with a $1.6 billion bill on the state’s shoulders.

“It’s broken. It doesn’t work. It was designed in the 1960s for the '60s way of doing health care,” said Greenstein. “This program is entirely too expensive for our nation in the way it’s running today. It can be fixed, trust me. I want it to be fixed and be sustainable so when I’m 65, I can look for it.”

Greenstein said the state is looking for a program that will streamline eligibility, giving patients more options.

Abadie said with federal dollars from Louisiana already going into the program, it would be fiscally negligent to not keep the money in the state, and help residents who desperately need it.

Under the Medicaid expansion, the federal government would fund 100 percent of the program for the first three years, and then the state will pick up 10 percent of the tab. Local leaders said they are worried the bill may increase over time, eventually becoming too large for Louisiana to handle.

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